


Cervus

by rorygrade



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Animal Death, Blood and Injury, Canonical Character Death, Hurt No Comfort, Manipulation, Memories, Vilbur, Wilbur is legit a sociopath in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:09:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28591530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rorygrade/pseuds/rorygrade
Summary: Despite everything, Technoblade would not consider himself a monster. When it came to his brother, however, he found the label much more fitting.Or: Techno watches as Wilbur drags himself and Tommy closer to the edge.
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade
Comments: 3
Kudos: 130





	Cervus

**Author's Note:**

> Threw this together in twenty minutes to deal with the emotions from the Festival yesterday ope. Let me know if this work needs more tags, it's my first time actually posting a story.

Technoblade had grown up quickly. It was one of the many side-effects from his line of work. The first time he and Philza had gone out on an expedition together, Techno had been eleven. He still remembered that trip ten years later. He and Phil had been tracking down a spy in their country’s borders. Techno recalled the snow, the light grey sky, and the smile on Phil’s face when he handed him the sword to finish the man off. That had been the first time he had seen someone die. It hadn’t bothered him at the time. Executions were reserved for bad people, traitors who deserved it. Techno had no hesitation killing people like that.

  
Wilbur was different from him. Where Techno was focused and cold, his brother was emotional and dramatic. Growing up, he was always the one to cut their sparring matches short, sobbing whenever he got the slightest cut. Techno rolled his eyes but let him have it. Wilbur couldn’t fight for shit, and that just meant Techno had to work a little harder to protect him. He loved his brother, but sometimes Wilbur’s emotions scared him.

  
Back when they were kids, the two of them had found a deer in the woods together. The creature was stuck in a trap, screaming and struggling to tear itself free from the snare trapped around its broken leg. Techno had drawn his sword and gone to put it out of its suffering, but Wilbur had stopped him. At first Techno thought his brother was going to beg him to let the deer live.

  
“Wil, it’s in pain. It’s kinder to just put it down.” Techno had said, gently prying his brother’s hand off his arm. Wilbur shook his head.

“Let me take the snare off.”

Techno let him cut the wire off the doe’s leg. The animal limped away into the snow. Wilbur stared at it, then motioned for Techno to follow him. They walked through the woods, Wilbur smiling and laughing as if they weren’t just feet away from a dying animal. Techno wasn’t sure how to react. It was unnerving seeing his brother--the same boy who cried when he got a papercut and couldn’t stand the sight of blood--completely unbothered by the doe dragging itself through the woods. When the doe had finally collapsed, Wilbur had sat there in the snow and waited until its chest stilled. The trip back to the castle that day had been quiet. Techno didn’t go with Wilbur on walks after that.

♢

Philza had brought home Tommy when Wilbur and Techno were both twelve. The kid was annoying at first. He was always tagging along everywhere they went and couldn’t shut up for the life of him. Techno had once tried locking his door to keep the gremlin out, but all that had accomplished was two straight hours of screaming until Techno caved and let him in. Wilbur was happier to have another brother in the castle. He and Tommy were always arguing, but somehow that just made them more inseparable. It was inevitable then that when Wilbur decided to leave the Antarctic Empire to strike out on his own, Tommy had gone with him.

The first few weeks with only Phil in the castle had been great. Without Tommy and Wilbur constantly getting on his nerves, Techno could get so much work done. He filled the silence with sparring, cooking--anything he could get his hands on.  
After the first month, Techno realized how horribly lonely he was. Tommy’s desperate letter asking him to join them at Pogtopia had come as a relief. He rode out the next morning, saying a quick goodbye to Phil and taking off into the wilderness without a second thought.

Techno had been so happy to see his brothers again that he didn’t notice how tired they were. The way Tommy flinched away from loud noises or how Wilbur couldn’t speak about his country without shaking went unnoticed. Techno had never really been one for the emotional. He prefered dealing with things he could control and left all the comforting words to Wilbur and Phil. The man just did what he did best: gather supplies and fight.

It was after the festival that Techno first began to worry. Tommy wouldn’t shut up about the whole firework thing and Wilbur kept pushing him further and further. It escalated until Tommy was grabbing onto Techno’s shirt and screaming at his face. It was then Wilbur suggested the pit and, for some reason, Techno agreed to it. He and Tommy had torn each other apart. Techno recognized the look in Wilbur’s eye as he watched the two of them fighting in that pit. With every punch Techno threw at his little brother, the more Tommy reminded him of that struggling doe in the woods. Wilbur-- _the absolute bastard_ \--had laughed when Techno brought it up to him later.

“What do you mean by ‘I’m manipulating Tommy’?” Wilbur had the audacity to ask.

Techno leaned across the narrow table separating them. “You know what I mean. The more you watch him suffer, the happier you seem to get.”

Wilbur smirked back at him, crossing his arms and chuckling. “There’s no harm in seeing the bright side of a shitty situation.”

“This isn’t being optimistic, this is you letting our brother slowly die just because you think it’s funny.” Techno replied. He bared his tusks. “Tommy trusts you. You can’t do this to him.”

Wilbur’s face split into a wide grin. He dropped his voice to a sickly whisper. “Actually, Techno, _I can._ ”

Techno didn’t know why he didn’t stop him then. He shouldn’t have walked away. The second he heard those words come out of Wilbur’s mouth, he should have grabbed Tommy and hauled him straight home. Instead, Techno did nothing. He did nothing but watch as his brothers dragged each other further and further down to the point of no return.

♢

“Techno, I want to make Tommy president.” Wilbur had told him the day before the final battle against Schlatt.

“Tommy?” Techno raised an eyebrow. “Why him?”

“Because I think he would be a good fit for what I have planned.” Wilbur replied, fiddling with his jacket. He hadn’t washed in days, but Techno tried to ignore it for both of their sakes.

“What’s your plan?” Techno asked.

Wilbur laughed in that weird, high-pitched voice he used when he knew he was doing something wrong. “I’d tell you but I’m afraid you’d get angry at me.”

Techno decided not to push it. Wilbur was too close to the edge already. If he kept his mouth shut a little bit longer, he might be able to reel him back. Once Wilbur had gone to bed, Techno went straight to Tommy’s room. The boy was still awake despite it being close to midnight. He threw a surprised look at Techno as he entered.

“What’s up, big man?”

“We need to get out of here.” Techno replied flatly. He grabbed the backpack off his back and began stuffing Tommy’s clothes into it. Tommy leaped off his bed to stop him.

“Wait, slow down. I’m not going anywhere!” Tommy protested. Techno ignored him.

“Yes you are. We’re leaving immediately.”

“I can’t leave,” Tommy snapped back. “Not until Tubbo and L’manberg are safe.”

In the end, Techno gave up. He couldn’t convince Tommy to leave no matter what he tried. Briefly he considered just picking up the boy and running, but he knew Tommy would run right back given the chance. Techno returned to his potato farm and forced himself to work until the morning. The less he thought about things he couldn’t change, the better.

The battle was a disaster. They killed Schlatt only to immediately replace him with a new dictator. Wilbur, true to his word, elected Tommy. Techno bit his lip, letting it happen. When Tommy relinquished his position to Tubbo, it was then that Techno acted. The sooner he destroyed all traces of that boy and the government he came from, the sooner Tommy would have nothing keeping him in this land. When he pulled the crossbow’s trigger and watched the firework explode across Tubbo’s face, he felt nothing. It was just as Phil had taught him: executions were reserved for those that deserved it. This child was the thing keeping his brother here and for that Techno would show no mercy.

Truth be told, Techno had barely considered using the withers until after the explosion. Wilbur had pressed the button and internally Techno was thankful for that. He had grown to hate the country just as much as his twin these past few weeks. Still, he considered the explosion to be the end. L’manberg had run its course and there was no reason to prolong its suffering further by summoning the withers.

It was the look on Tommy’s face that changed Techno’s mind. His younger brother, despite the blood and dust covering him, was still fighting. All of the people of L’manberg were. Wilbur’s explosion was the snare and the deer had survived the blast, but it wouldn’t for long. As long as they were allowed to live, they would continue to do nothing but struggle until they gave up and died. Techno didn’t want to watch that again. He had hesitated before, but Wilbur wasn’t here to stop him this time. He spawned the withers and let them loose on the survivors not out of cruelty, but mercy.

“You betrayed us!” Tommy yelled at him. The teenager could barely lift his sword at this point, but still he kept struggling onwards. “Wilbur loved this country, how could you do this to us?”

“Wilbur didn’t love this country.” Techno spit. He kicked Tommy square in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground. All around them the battle raged on. “And he didn’t love you.”

Tommy’s face paled. “What are you talking about?”

“He wanted to make you president just so he could see the look on your face when he tore it all away.” Techno shouted back. “Wilbur was a monster.”

“And you’re any better?” Tommy screamed. The boy’s voice was hoarse and threatened to give out at any moment. “You hurt Tubbo!”

“I only hurt those that deserve it.” Techno retorted, pinning Tommy to the ground with his boot. Tommy reached for his axe and Techno raised his sword, driving it straight down into his brother’s hand. Tommy screamed that same awful cry as the deer. Techno bared his tusks at the noise.

“Do I fucking deserve it?” Tommy demanded, clutching his bleeding hand. Tears left pale streaks across his face. “What’s the difference between you and Wilbur, _because I can’t fucking find it!_ ”

Techno didn’t have an answer. He moved his boot and let Tommy struggle free. The boy ran from him and didn’t look back. Techno raised his crossbow, aimed it at the back of that red and white shirt, and found he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger.

♢

Techno and Philza buried Wilbur’s body alone. Tommy wanted nothing to do with any of them and Techno didn’t want anyone else from L’manberg at the funeral, so that just left him and Phil to dig the grave. Wilbur looked almost peaceful in Phil’s arms. As long as Techno ignored the blood across his chest, it was like his brother was fast asleep.

“I should have been there to stop him.” Phil had said, his voice raspy and quiet. “If I had gone with them at the very beginning, I could have prevented all this.”

“He was gone before he left the Empire.” Techno replied. He leaned against his shovel and stared down into the open grave. “I think he’s been gone for a very long time.”

Philza sighed and pulled his cloak tighter around himself. “I just never saw any signs that he was like this. He was always an emotional child, but I never thought he could hurt someone.”

 _Unlike you._ The words were left unsaid but Techno heard them anyway. He lifted the shovel and dumped dirt onto the body below. “Phil, I don’t think I’m going to be fighting anymore.”

“Oh yeah?” Phil asked. “Why not?”

Techno kept shoveling dirt until he couldn’t recognize Wilbur’s face anymore. “I don’t think I’ve been fighting for the right reasons.”


End file.
